The Downtown Demonstration Bikeway and Citywide Bike Share Pilot are open for business!

Downtown Demonstration Bikeway:

Earlier this summer, the City of Bellevue opened the Downtown Demonstration Bikeway along 108th Avenue Northeast from Main Street to Northeast 12th Street. This almost one-mile-long corridor features bike facilities on both sides of 108th Avenue Northeast and provides a safer and more comfortable option than riding in the main travel lanes for people who bike in Bellevue’s busiest neighborhood.

The bike lanes feature painted buffer areas, curb and post dividers, and planter boxes to separate people bicycling from vehicle traffic. Green pavement markings highlight turn lanes, driveways, and other places where people bicycling and driving may cross paths. View the Downtown Demonstration Bikeway Brochure for an overview and block-by-block detail of the infrastructure used in the design.

The bikeway officially opened on Tuesday, July 31 with a Grand Opening Celebration that included speakers from the City of Bellevue, the Bellevue Downtown Association, HNTB, and King County Metro. More than 400 interested residents and employees came out to celebrate with community partners from all over the Eastside.

Bike Share Launches in Bellevue:

Bike share officially launched in Bellevue on the same day with fifty bikes and free helmets for people who attended the celebration event. The system has already grown to nearly two hundred bikes available across town, and up to four hundred are currently allowed under the City’s rules. The City of Bellevue does not own or operate the system, but it regulates how private companies can use public streets and sidewalks to provide bike share services. Lime is the only permitted vendor under a pilot program that will last one year and will be evaluated over the coming months. Lime uses free-floating “dockless” bikes like those available in Seattle since summer 2017.

One unique feature to Bellevue’s pilot is that all bicycles are electric-assist, or e-bikes. While slightly more expensive per ride than normal bikes, e-bikes provide a boost while pedaling to help overcome hills and make the service easier to use for more people.

To help combat sidewalk clutter, the city has designated preferred parking areas, called “bike hubs,” conveniently located along sidewalks around Downtown. The hubs are painted areas that encourage riders to park in places that are out of the way to help keep sidewalks clear for people walking. More bike hubs are coming soon to Downtown and other neighborhoods, including Factoria and Crossroads.

Do you have general questions about bike share (What is it? How do you use it? How much does it cost?) or even more technical questions (Where can I park it? Steps to report an issue)? Then check out the very helpful Bike Share Frequently Asked Questions page.

With the downtown bikeway opening, bike share launch, and a number of Transportation Levy Projects focused specifically on improving bicycle facilities, 2018 is truly shaping up as the “Year of the Bicycle” in Bellevue. See you in the bike lanes!